Order milk for patients & hospitals
To receive donor milk at home, a prescription is required.
Whether the baby is still in the hospital or already at home, to order milk for home use fax the completed Prescription to Receive Donor Milk to the BC Women's Provincial Milk Bank at 604-875-2871.
Fax or email the completed form to BC Women's Provincial Milk Bank to 604-875-2871 or mbscreening@cw.bc.ca.
Donor milk is dispensed for (but is not limited to) the following conditions (HMBANA criteria):
- Prematurity
- Malabsorption
- Formula intolerance
- Immunologic deficiency
- Congenital anomalies
- Post-operative nutrition
Provided that supply is abundant, donor milk may also be dispensed for:
- Lactation failure
- Adoption
- Illness in mother requiring temporary interruption in breastfeeding
- Health risk to baby from the milk of the biological mother (e.g. HIV positive)
- Death of mother who was breastfeeding
Donor milk is provided to babies who need it the most. Our supply depends on how many donors we have. When our supply is low we cannot always meet all requests. Every baby using donor milk needs to have an alternate feeding plan.
Refer parents to the handout Getting Human Donor Milk After Your Baby Leaves the Hospital.
Upon receipt of the milk, hospitals are responsible for dispensing the milk to babies who meet the eligibility criteria as per their hospital policy and documenting the mother’s informed decision about donor milk in her chart. Hospitals are responsible for ensuring they are able to track recipients as well as prove appropriate storage and handling should issues arise.
